The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is an international professional society for the advancement of the theory and practice of technical communication. It has hundreds of local chapters (also known as 'communities.'
#30495
Getting It Together: Creating Procedure Guides for Chapter Officers and Managers 
The Rochester Chapter developed a set of Procedure Guides for officers and managers. The project was generated by a need to describe management tasks in order to recruit members for chapter positions, and to aid officers and managers in doing their jobs. This session demonstrates how other chapters can benefit from the Rochester Chapter's experience and develop a set of customized leadership guides.
Doremus, Jean S. and Kathleen B. Aughey. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>TC>STC
#30498
Have Chapter Meetings that Members Love to Attend!
To improve your chapter meetings, begin by forming a vivid ideal of how you would like the meetings to be. You can realize your dream if you: (1) find out what chapter members want, (2) form an enthusiastic team to do the many tasks involved, (3) publicize meetings beyond your membership list, (4) ensure good presentations, (5) energize the audience for lively meetings, and (6) keep looking for ways to meet your members' wants. For advice and encouragement in doing these things, participate in a support group with leaders of other chapters.
Dean, Morris. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#26251
Hosting the Traveling Exhibits: A Primer
In April 2005 the Vermont Chapter STC hosted the STC traveling exhibits, which include award-winning entries from the five major STC competitions: the international technical art competition (ITAC), international technical publications competition (ITPC), international online communication competition (IOCC), Society newsletter competition, and Society public relations competition. If your chapter, like ours, is in a small market, you probably don’t get the opportunity to network with technical writers from different industries or to see documentation for other markets. Hosting the traveling exhibits is a great way to see what other technical writers are doing in the field.
Myers, Patricia. Tieline (2005). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#30747
How Can We Attract More Members to Our Meetings? 
Make the meetings fun--after a long day at work, we need to relax. If you can help them relax at the meeting, you are a step ahead. Some chapters use a relaxation technique at the beginning of their meeting. One California chapter president responded on the listserv that he wears a Santa suit at his chapter's December meeting, so don't be afraid to try something new!
Laurent, J. Suzanna. Tieline (2008). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#26253
All STC community leaders know the difficulty of finding volunteers. In recent years, the Orlando chapter has seen steadily increasing membership counts and meeting attendance figures, implemented creative and successful chapter initiatives, and even won consecutive Chapter of Distinction awards. But when it comes to soliciting volunteers for chapter leadership positions, you may as well be asking them to wrestle the sharks at SeaWorld! On the other hand, there are some things you can do to at least lessen the pain.
Murray, Mike. Tieline (2005). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#30214
How to Organize Educational Meetings for Community and Professional Organizations 
Successful meetings are the end result of a∆ careful planning process. To successfully organize an educational meeting for a community or professional organization, you need to follow a series of steps.
Carliner, Saul. Tieline (2007). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>STC
#24940
How to Stage a Successful Student Competition
One of the functions of the Society for Technical Communications (STC) is to promote and encourage the professional development of its members. A student chapter of STC has additional responsibilities; it must also seek to build bridges between the students and the professional community.
Bowman, Michelle L., Leonard B. Jones Ill, Winnifred R. Leonard and Marisa J. Mueller. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Community Building>STC
#30504
As a chapter leader, you work hard towards the goal of getting maximum interest and participation in chapter activities by the chapter membership. But are you on target? Probable accurate answers to this question are 'some times,' 'probably,' 'maybe,' etc. As any of us who have served in an STC chapter leadership role can attest, the fact is that the target is a moving one. What is on target today may not necessarily work tomorrow. And vice-versa. However, there are some 'tricks of the trade' which you can use to help you increase your on-target percentage. Come and interact with a panel of past and present chapter presidents as each shares specific ideas for increasing membership involvement and for tailoring activities to meet the needs of members and potential members.
Cantando, Mary Myers, Mark Hanigan Bruce E. Cone, Michael P. Bates and Judith N. Skinner. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#29947
In order for chapters to stay relevant to their members, they must provide intrinsic value to their members and show themselves as professional and authoritative leaders in the field of technical communication.
Opsteegh, Michael. Tieline (2007). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#20683
The Inmates are Running the STC
The latest on the STC Transformation blog mentions that of the thousands of STC members, only 1% are contributing their views to the blog. So, they wonder, what do the other 99% have to say? One commentor thinks that this 99% are silent because they're happy with their memberships. I think this group has probably just forgotten they're members.
Berger, Jenny L. Creative Tech Writer, The (2003). Articles>TC>Organizations>STC
#30746
Lead Volunteers to Superstardom
Thanks to the Orlando Chapter, we now have a program that our volunteers enjoy. Whether or not you decide to do something like this for your community is up to you. But remember this: someone out in the world of STC has tried something. Rely on their expertise. You don't need to reinvent the wheel.
Haughton, Mel. Tieline (2008). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#31852
There is an aspect of leadership that’s just as important as knowing how to resolve conflicts. That is knowing when and how to listen. If we are leading a chapter or a SIG or a Society-level committee and one of our members raises an issue, we need to listen very carefully to what they have to say.
Farbey, David. Tieline (2008). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#29674
The Leadership Community Resource (LCR) is the STC's structure for providing support and guidance to STC communities. The LCR provides volunteer guidance, formal coaching and mentoring in specific leadership areas, support for communities in crisis, and resources for new and prospective leaders including an online Leadership Training course to help build a personal or community leadership plan.
#30215
One definition of leadership that I like is 'the ability to cause other people to act in desired ways for the benefit of the group.' Those of us who are managers often have the authority to make other people act for the good of a group, but that power doesn't make you a leader--it makes you a boss. The people who choose to follow you decide if they want you as a leader and thus want to achieve the goals of the group. In the long run, folks in a volunteer organization follow a leader because they believe it's in their own best interests to do so. Those interests could be recognition, advanced career possibilities, learning a new skill, altruism, or any number of other personal perks. Good leaders know how to tap into an individual's personal interests and feed those interests so the person both enjoys and gains from helping the group reach a goal.
Oestreich, Linda L. Tieline (2007). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#30280
Leading a More Successful Chapter
This leadership training workshop is designed to assist new and seasoned STC Chapter leaders with solutions to their chapters' most pressing problems. The agenda of this workshop is determined by the participants. Successful Chapter leaders will facilitate group discussion and roundtable problem-solving sessions.
Brinegar, John P., Steven M. Cascone and Roger A. Grice. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#29427
Mail Your Newsletter with Less Labor and Cost
A lot of STC chapter and SIG mailings are done the old-fashioned way: envelopes stuffed by hand, and stamped manually or--occasionally--with a stamp machine. That's an awful lot of work, and expensive too. When I confronted this problem a few years back for my current employer, some research revealed a solution that eliminated the annual pressganging of volunteers to stuff envelopes and also saved us a fair bit of money.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (1999). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>STC
#30517
Managing a Successful Employment Information Committee
A successful STC Employment Information Committee provides many rewards for job seekers, employers, and committee members. The Society’s Employment Information Manager and members from the Employment Information Committees of the Silicon Valley Chapter and the Lone Star Chapter discuss techniques for operating a successful employment information chapters.
Murphy, Katherine B., Terry N. Turner and Roger E. Masse. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>Interviewing>STC
#29862
Holding competitions at regional and local levels enhances the value a chapter provides its members. This workshop, designed for chapter leaders and competition managers, provides a practical and well-tested plan for managing the chapter’s annual competition. Attendees will receive a complete package of samples, spreadsheet and document templates, and presentation slides that they can customize for their chapters.
Levander, Deanne K. and Preeti Mathur. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>STC
#28159
Managing Valuable Chapter Content
One of the ways that STC chapters can improve their value proposition to present and prospective members is to make available some of the best content that is created by and owned by the chapter members.
Kinder, Meredith and Sheila Loring. Carolina Communique (2006). Articles>Content Management>Community Building>STC
#30140
The Marathon of Chapter Presidency
This panel discussion becomes what the audience deems it to be. Each panelist is a past STC chapter president. Issues are audience-dependent but may include topics such as handling volunteers, managing money, recruiting members, and so forth. Join this informal discussion to share ideas, quandaries, and solutions for successfully leading a chapter.
Graham, Bonni, Mark Hanigan, Linda Oestreich, Jeff Staples and Carolyn Watt. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#25020
The Marathon of Chapter Presidency
This panel/discussion takes shape as the audience molds it. Each panelist is a past STC chapter president and has managed to successfully run the “Marathon of Chapter Presidency.” The past-presidents panel comprises senior members, associate fellows, committee managers, and other leaders of the society Issues are audience-dependent but may include topics such as handling volunteers, managing money, recruiting members, and so forth. Join this informal discussion to share ideas, quandaries, and solutions for successfully leading a chapter. All current, past, and potential chapter leaders are welcome.
Brogan, Barbara B., Steven M. Cascone, Mark Hanigan, Linda L. Oestreich, and Charlotte J. Ruenzel. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#21237
The Marathon of Chapter Presidency
This panel discussion takes shape as the audience molds it. Each panelist is a past STC chapter president. Issues are audience-dependent but may include topics such as handling volunteers, managing money, recruiting members, and so forth. Join this informal discussion to share ideas, quandaries, and solutions for successfully leading a chapter.
Blankinship, Ann, Barbara B. Brogan, LaVonna F. Funkhouser, Gary L. Higgins and Gary M. Smith. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#18202
The Marathon of Chapter Presidency
This panel/discussion takes shape as the audience molds it. Each panelist is a past STC chapter president and has managed to successfully run the “Marathon of Chapter Presidency.” The past-presidents panel comprises a fellow, an associate fellow, a director sponsor, senior members, committee managers, and other leaders of the society. Issues are audience-dependent but may include topics such as handling volunteers, managing money recruiting members, and so forth. Join this informal discussion to share ideas, quandaries, and solutions for successfully leading a chapter.
Oestreich, Linda L., Mark Hanigan, Richard Julius, Patricia J. McClelland and Carolyn L. Watt. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Management>Professionalism>STC
#30592
The Marathon of Chapter Presidency: How to Compete and Win
Listen to and talk with past and present STC chapter presidents about the positive side of lessons learned in running a chapter. Each panelist will initially address a specific issue that he or she faced as chapter president. Issues vary but will include tips on getting volunteers, learning more about your chapter members, and maybe most importantly, reaping the benefits and joys of chapter leadership. Join this informal discussion and take some new, exciting ideas back to your home chapter.
Oestreich, Linda L., Steven M. Cascone, Mark Hanigan Carolyn L. Watt, John C. Hurd and Kathleen B. Aughey. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#30282
Meeting The Challenge Of Change, Sharing Ideas For The STC 42nd Annual Conference
In this panel discussion, the program manager and stem managers for the 42nd STC Annual Conference (scheduled for April 23 through 26,1995, in Washington, D. C.) will be available to share their ideas for the upcoming conference program and to hear your suggestions and ideas for meeting the challenge of change. Only issues related to the program will be discussed.
Armbruster, David L., Deborah L. Baxley Cynthia J. Brock, Steven M. Cascone, Constance L. Kiernan, Deirdre A. Murr, Linda L. Oestreich, Tom Wall and Carolyn L. Watt. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>TC>Presentations>STC
